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The University of Pennsylvania has received an $83.9 million gift from alumnus Dr. Roy Vagelos and his wife, Diana, to support science initiatives at the School of Arts & Sciences.
It represents the largest single gift to the school and one of the largest Penn has ever received.
The bulk of the gift, $50 million, will bolster graduate education in chemistry, in part by establishing 20 new Vagelos fellows. The rest will be used to create a permanent endowment for the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology and endow a chair in chemistry and three undergraduate science awards.
Roy Vagelos earned a chemistry degree from Penn before going on to receive a medical degree from Columbia University. He served as chairman and CEO of Merck & Co. and chairman of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
Diana Vagelos attended Barnard College, where she currently serves as vice chair of the Board of Trustees. She and Roy met at Columbia in the 1950s.
They have been generous benefactors of Columbia, Barnard and Penn, where their total contributions to the Arts & Sciences School now stand at $239 million, Penn reported.
“Roy and Diana’s philanthropic support has been expanding Penn’s horizons in the sciences for more than four decades,” Penn interim president J. Larry Jameson said in the announcement. “As a physician-scientist himself, Roy pioneered major advances that have improved human health. Their commitment to this University can be seen across campus and we are deeply committed to their bold vision for what Penn can accomplish, from discoveries in the lab to inspiring students in the classroom. The legacy of their partnership will have an enduring impact on generations to come.”
